Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Music For Merce - 2

My intention to restrict myself only to Music for Merce failed miserably, but progress is being made and I'm enjoying every - scattered and dispersed - moment. And a number of surprises have been uncovered, not least the live recording of David Tudor's Toneburst for Merce's Sounddance, perhaps the least forgiving piece in the set so far, to have been sourced from Perth, West Australia. What the fuck was David Tudor doing in Perth in 1976!? Turns out performing for a number of Merce Cunningham dances for the Perth International Arts Festival, a festival the troupe have been part of a number of times over the years.

Sounddance

Also enjoyable is Takdshi Kosugi's S.E. Wave/E.W. Song for Cunningham's Squaregame, not least for the clarity, a welcome contrast to the (intentionally) murky, fizzing swamp which defines the majority of the set.

A far more detailed analysis of the set can be found at Hollow Earth Recordings blog, complete with images, links to dance performances and myriad information, and contrary personal views (they don't like the Kosugi piece). There's also the recent release of the The Art of David Tudor box set on New World Records which will add much to part of this picture. So, as always, more and more to be lost in...